Safety pin



Oct. 26, 1954 'r. P. FORDE 2,692,415

SAFETY PIN Filed July 2, 1951 Z? INVBVTOR.

7720mm 1. Forde his ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY PIN v Thomas P. Forde, Elmhurst, N. Y.

. Application July 2, 1951, Serial No. 234,794

3 Claims. (01. 24-156) This invention relates to safety pins.

It has been found that the present commercial safety pin is often swallowed by children and the object of this invention is to provide a safety pin which resists swallowing of the same, and shall be practical for all general use. Also, another object of the invention is to provide a safety pin which can only be opened in a particular manner, whereby the child is unable to open it.

The invention comprises a pin member having hinged thereto, a spring actuated member, preferably bent into angular shape providing an elbow, the pin member supporting a sheath for enclosing the sharpened end of the pin. This sheath, is of particular form, to guide the pin end in a labyrinthal manner to a safety position, which pin does not unclasp save by a guided hand movement by one familiar with its manner of operation.

The invention will be further described, embodiments thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved safety pin;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the closed pin;

Fig. 4 is a detail view taken on line 4-4 of Fig.

Fig. 5 is a side view with the pin open;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are views showing a modification with Fig. '7, a top view of the pin tip holder;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the pin tip holder, and

Fig. 9 is a side view of the spring end.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, the pin shank II] has one end II pointed or sharpened in the manner usual to enable entrance of the pin into the materials to be held. The other end of the shank I has a handle portion I2, and inwardly of the same is a shoulder I3 with a bore I4.

A sheath I is supported at one end I 6 of a bow shaped member I! which has a trunnion holding part I8, and which extends beyond the same to form the handle l9, a pintle passes through a bore 2I of the part I8 and through the bore I4 of the shoulder I3 of the pin shank. The bores 2I and I4 register with each other, with the pintle 20 passing through the bores to form a hinge. A spring 22 presses against both handles at their inner sides, one end of the spring being fixed as at 23 by welding, or the like. The spring 22 is compressible and when pressure is released it expands to its normal position giving a closing bias to the pin.

The sheath of the end I6 is of specific shape. It is welded or otherwise secured to the end I6 as shown by 24. It is constructed of a semi-circular cup member 25, which has at its upper ends 26 and 21 bent over portions. The part 28 at 26 is bent down, and the part 29 at 2'! is longer than the part 28 and is also bent down but it extends beyond the medium of the semi-circular portion 25. Any movement of the pin I0 tends to move it either to the right or to the left, and in either event the pin is captivated by the corners formed within the bends 26 and 21. Only when the pin is guided along the lower surface of the part 29 and then over the end of the shelf 29, and upwardly in reverse to the arrow 30, is it possible for the pin to escape. This lahyrinthical sheath is a small length as shown in Fig. 2.

The ends or lips 28 and 29 converge towards each other downwardly, and the tips thereof are about on a radial plane passing through the median part of the semi-circular cup, about at its lowermost part. (Fig. 6.) Any accidental downward pressure on the pin I0 when it is in one of the pockets, causes the pin to move along the inner semi-circular contour of the cup or semi-circular portion 25, and thus the pin I0 is more likely to move into one or the other pocket than pass out of the space 30.

The modified form shown in Figs. 7 to 9 is substantially the same, save that the handle Is has a bentover portion [9a holding the spring 22. Also the bow shaped member I5 has its end bent to enter a sleeve 35 formed in the sheath so as to be secured thereto. Also the bow shaped member I5 has at its extreme end tongues 3535.

A hole 36 is provided at the bottom into which the bent over member I"! passes and is clinched together tight by the two tongues 3535.

The parts 28 and 29 are of different lengths.

as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8.

From the foregoing it is seen that the invention consists of a combination of a sharpened pin, a pin end sheath, a member supporting said sheath and hinged to said pin, said sheath having a circular portion having bent over ends, one end portion being of greater length than the other, with the tips of said ends or lips being generally aligned and spaced from each other forming an outlet for the pin, the inner sides of the ends or lips forming pin holding means preventing the pin from moving'into said outlet, save by a guided movement.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a safety pin, the combination of a pin having a sharpened point, a sheath for the pin end of the pin, a member supporting said sheath having a semi-circular cup portion, a hinge connecting said pin and said member, the median outside of said sheath being secured to said member, and having bent-over lips forming inclined walls converging downwardly towards each other, one lip being of greater length than the other lip, with the tips of said lips being aligned in a radial plane passing through said median of said semicircular portion, and spaced from each other at least the thickness of said pin, forming an outlet for the pin, the inner inclined sides of said lips each forming a pin holding pocket with said semicircular portion, preventing the pin from moving into .said outlet, save ,by a guided movement.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which the pivot of the sheath holding member is located inwardly of the end of the pin distant from its sharpened point, and said sheath holding member has an angularly disposed end forming an angle with the pin beyond said hinge, and a spring is interposed between both of said ends, whereby pressure on said end of the pin and on the angular portion of sheath supporting member serves to hold separate the point of the pin from sheath, when said point has been disengaged from said sheath.

3. The structure of claim 1, in which the sheath holding member has an angularly shaped bow shaped portion with its angle distant from said pin.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 629,380 Logee July 25, 1899 777,409 Forsbeck Dec. 13, 1904 1,166,885 Brell Jan. 4, 1916 1,224,733 Furlong May 1, 1917 1,353,093 Tiencken ,Sept. 14,1920

1,358,560 Kennison NovQQ, 1920 2,227,676 Schwartz Jan. 7 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 443,122 France of 1-912 

